On The Hunt

     Some of you know my whole story, and some of you only know parts. I am the oldest of eight children and we all were abandoned by our mother as infants or young children, but at different times, so some of us knew nothing of the other. Some of us were separated and some of us got to stay with a sibling. 

    My wife and I have spent over five years searching for my siblings, we have been blessed and managed to locate five of them. We have been able to get to know and spend time with three of them and their family.

 Shyleen, Steven Lee , and myself

Shyleen, Johanna, and myself

 We do keep in touch with the other two but not as often.

Steven Lucas
In spite of our distance, some of them have been able to get together. 

Crystal has been the one none of us have meet but she keeps in touch and has even sent our children Christmas gifts. 

We love our ever increasing family, so we are on the hunt again! We have two more to find.

The oldest of the two was born Summer Dawn Vassar, birth year 1993, she is 21/2 in this picture. The youngest was born Krysta Vassar, birth year 1994, age 11/2 in the picture. The picture was take around September of 1995 it was sent to us by the state of Oregon postmarked in Salem.  Both siblings were born and adopted into the same family in Oregon but we are pretty sure they have changed both of their names. 

Our birth mother’s name is Linda Sue Vassar, born Feb 17, 1960.  

Unfortunately we are not able to get any other information from her. What we do know we have put out there in hope some one, some where can help add some more to the puzzle or may just happen to know our sisters. I know this is a long shot with so little, but we are still praying and hoping. We have put this information on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=268375583296401&set=a.222184807915479.59860.100003718856795&type=1&theater, and asked people to share it, we are at 85 shares right now, but it is moving slow so it is a little discouraging. Hopefully the more shares we get, the faster it will start to spread.  Until then we wait and keep putting the information out in any new places we can think of. Hopefully there will be a large family reunion picture I will be able to post in the near future.  

Just a couple of things.

     My oldest daughter Brooklyn had a carnival at her school and I took off of work early so that I could go. We all really had a good time, but I have a confession to make. Even after all that I said in my morning's post, I found myself judging the parents at the carnival. I began pointing out all the flaws I could find in all the parents. It was a somewhat surreal experience to be sure. I began pointing out things I was seeing to Mary when she reminded me to not be too harsh with my judgements. I felt horrible. I took a step back at that moment and seen everyone with different eyes. I forgot that if not for Christ I could be in a much different situation.
     I am so thankful for my wife. She is such a blessing to me. That gentle reminder brought me out of my arrogant world. Thank God for her.
     Secondly, I would like to begin sharing my life story. I have been told by several people that I should write a book and I would love to do that at some point. For now though I plan on sporadically posting about a stage of my life and the people that have been a part of it. For now though, I'm calling it a night. Good night all!

Morning reading

      Today we are in Romans chapter 2. Let the games begin.....

Romans 2

New Living Translation (NLT)

God’s Judgment of Sin

2 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. ² And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. ³ Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? ⁴ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

⁵ But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶ He will judge everyone according to what they have done. ⁷ He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. ⁸ But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. ⁹ There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.^{[a] 10} But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.
¹² When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. ¹³ For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. ¹⁴ Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. ¹⁵ They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. ¹⁶ And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.

The Jews and the Law

¹⁷ You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. ¹⁸ You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. ¹⁹ You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. ²⁰ You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.

²¹ Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? ²² You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?^{[b] 23} You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. ²⁴ No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”^[c]
25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. ²⁶ And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? ²⁷ In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.
²⁸ For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. ²⁹ No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise^[d] from God, not from people.

     Hypocrisy.....it is the single, most deadly poison that weaves itself through the fabric of Christianity. You all know one. Maybe you are one. I'm referring to the guy (or gal) that has decided that the way to win souls to Christ is to step out into the world, reminding everyone of their political affiliation, their perfect church attendance, all 500 bible verses they memorized in Sunday school, their renouncing of homosexuality, abortion, R rated movies, and all pork products. Then at the end of the day they wait to reap the harvest of souls that they have tilled throughout the day. Unfortunately none will come.
     The fact is no one cares about your religious accomplishments or your ability to recite Psalm 23 in your sleep, backwards, in 4 languages. You want to know what makes a difference? It's this. GAC. What is GAC you ask? It simply stands for "give a crap". That is what Jesus did. He cared about people. People who had nothing to give in return. People who really tarnished His image because of their  lifestyle. These people knew they were a mess. They knew that they missed the mark, and they were Christ's favorite company. Yet we somehow believe that when we spout off our religious pedigree to those we encounter, then remind them of their failure to be as awesome as you are, that they will fall on their knees and worship God, and you.
    
          I am a sinner saved by grace. Quite honestly, I wonder how anyone else could have been saved after me, because in order for God to forgive me I thought surely He would have run out of His grace supply.  Luckily that isn't the case.
     I have been guilty of hypocrisy myself though, and I loathe myself for it. I get on a "roll" with God. I'm up daily, praying, reading, etc..., and I suddenly think my rosy smell must be shared with others. Why I can't wait to get out the door to crank up K Love so that everyone in a 10 block radius can hear my music choice for the day. It's ridiculous. The scars that Christ bore were for me as well as for you. If you find yourself feeling rather pleased with yourself for your accomplishments and you think you might be in need of a good dose of humility, then do this for me. Go into your garage. Open your tool box and take out your best hammer. Find the biggest nail you can find and walk into your backyard. Line the nail up with the tree and drive it home. Then close your eyes and imagine that you were there at Calvary with Jesus. Imagine that it was you that drove the nails into His wrists and His feet. Then remind yourself that in essence, you did.
     When you realize that you really aren't that neat, then God can work with that. 

Daily reading

Today we happen to land in the book of Romans which happens to be one of my favorite books in the Bible. It not only lays out the path for salvation but also tells us how to live after we accept Christ. So without further further adieu I give you chapter 1.

Romans 1

New Living Translation (NLT)

Greetings from Paul

1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. ² God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. ³ The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, ⁴ and he was shown to be^[a] the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.^[b] He is Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through Christ, God has given us the privilege^[c] and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

⁶ And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. ⁷ I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

God’s Good News

⁸ Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. ⁹ God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart^[d] by spreading the Good News about his Son.

¹⁰ One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. ¹¹ For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. ¹² When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.
¹³ I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,^[e] that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. ¹⁴ For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world,^[f] to the educated and uneducated alike. ¹⁵ So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.^{[g] 17} This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”^[h]

God’s Anger at Sin

¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.^{[i] 19} They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
²⁴ So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. ²⁵ They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. ²⁶ That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. ²⁷ And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
²⁸ Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. ²⁹ Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. ³⁰ They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. ³¹ They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. ³² They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

What is the meaning of idol worship?

A simple definition of idol worship is to believe that anything beside God can help us, or to hold something as more important to us than God. Thus if we hold our property (for example) as more important than God /or give our jobs more time and attention than God - we are committing idol worship. Unfortunately, the majority of people who believe in God commit this gross offense without even realizing it.



   

All these things are not idols in and of themselves but when put before our relationship w/ God they do become idols. God does not ask us to put Him first because He is arrogant or prideful but because He knows that there is nothing greater than Him, and He doesn't want us striving for anything less. He also knows that a priority realtionship with Him spills over into every other responsibility that we have. We will be better parents, spouses, employees, friends and people in general. That is why the greatest commandment of all is to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength. He wants the best for us and He is it.
     Take an account of your life and see if there is anything that you put before your realtionship w/ God. If so, then a change in priority is needed. You will not regret it. I promise.

Consider this.....

     Do you ever stop and think about how precious the present is?  It is 8:56 PM on 5/2/2012. That minute that just went by is the the only one like it I will ever get. I have heard the phrase "intentional living" many times but I believe that making that a reality is the secret to happiness. Living every minute intentionally, with purpose, has to be the most fulfilling concept I can think of.
     As I was writing this I noticed the date. 3 years ago yesterday I experienced one of the most pivotal moments of my entire life. Allow me to share it with you as much as I can. I have to leave out names and specific locations so that I don't violate any HIPPA laws, but this is fitting considering what I was writing about.
     May 1st, 2009, at around 4:00 PM, I was working on the ambulance, getting ready to take lunch. A pediatric seizure call went out at a nearby school. We lit up and began driving towards the school. Half way there the call nature changed to a cardiac arrest. I was still fairly new and had ran several cardiac arrest calls but not a pediatric patient.
     I can recall the the remainder of this call just like it happened yesterday. We rounded the last few corners before reaching the school, and posted at each turn, was a school staff member waving frantically and pointing us in the direction of the scene.
     No amount of training could have prepared me for what I was about to encounter. There on the playground, was a dead 6 year old child. A bystander was giving mouth to mouth and we stepped in and did what we could. Then we loaded up and drove to the nearest hospital. The mother showed up at the hospital at the same time and we layed the child on the hospital bed and the ER staff began working and asking questions to an obviously shell shocked mother. She stared at the floor and answered the questions in a trance like state.  Despite everyone's best efforts there was nothing anyone could do.
      I walked back to the ambulance and attempted to put it back together but I just couldn't seem to gather myself. I was numb. Another crew was at the hospital and they took over and restored the ambulance to it's previous state.
     My wife called shortly thereafter and she could tell that I wasn't OK. When she asked me what was wrong, I lost it. I sobbed like a child as I tried to explain what had happened. She said she was actually on her way to the hospital to see her grandmother who was undergoing surgery. When she arrived and I seen my girls, I lost it all over again. I held them so tightly, as if they could just float away, which in essence, they could.
     My partner and I attended the memorial service that the school held in the child's honor. It was different than any memorial service I had ever attended because the family were all believers. There were tears and fond memories like most services, but there was an unmistakable feeling of hope and joy in the knowing that one day there would be a reunion and that the child was with Jesus. There was no cause of death but one of the family members said that there just isn't a box on the sheet to check, stating that Jesus called them home. I left both saddened and encouraged.
     I can still remember the date, the child's entire name, the exact address of the call, and the unit number that I was in that day. I imagine I will never forget.
     I cannot answer why this happened. No explanation I could offer would ever salve a wound like that so it's better not to try. I am confident that there is purpose in this. My eyes were opened to many things that I took for granted up to that point. My children have always been important to me but after that day I realized how fragile my time with them really is. The scene of the incident has become a sacred place for me. I have returned to it several times over the past few years to pray and remind myself of how important my loved ones are. I meet with some guys weekly and we began our group by praying together at this spot.
     So before you go to bed, walk into your children's room and thank God for them. When you wake up, thank God for one more day with those you care the most about. Time is short. Don't let it slip away. Good night all.

Morning reading

     I am going through a reading plan that is strictly new testament. I jumps around a bit but sticks with one author and all of his books before moving on. Today I land in 2 Peter 3. I will copy and paste the daily reading here so that you can access it if you would like to join me.

    



2 Peter 3                                                                       

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Day of the Lord Is Coming

 This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. ² I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

³ Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. ⁴ They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”
⁵ They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. ⁶ Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. ⁷ And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
⁸ But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.^[a]
11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, ¹² looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. ¹³ But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
¹⁴ And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
¹⁵ And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— ¹⁶ speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

Peter’s Final Words

¹⁷ I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. ¹⁸ Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.


     What a heavy chapter to begin with. When I read this I think of Noah. Imagine this. It has never rained. Ever. It's a beautiful, sunny day and you come to your backyard to grill up some delicious animal carcass when you glance at your next door neighbor's yard and notice he is beginning the frame work for something massive. Curiosity gets the best of you, so you walk to the fence and ask him what it is he is building. He replies, "a boat". What a great idea you think to yourself. A boat of that size could easily fit your family and his together plus, well possibly the entire neighborhood, or maybe the whole city, but hey, go big or go home right? You begin to mention your dreams of fishing trips on the Jordan River when you realize that there is no way to get that boat to the water because, trucks and trailers have not been invented yet. You share your conundrum with him and he kindly explains that not only will there be no fishing trips in this boat, but that God told him to build it and there is going to be a flood that will destroy the entire earth.  You begin looking around, expecting to see a camera crew, or possibly Ashton Cutcher to inform you that you have been punked, but neither one happens. He is serious. Dead serious. He walks away from the fence and goes back to work.
     Many people base their disbelief of something on the fact that it has not happened yet, so it will never happen. I imagine Noah had some doubts as to the validity of what he was bulding but God told him there would be a flood so he acted on it, regardless of how foolish he felt or other people told him he was. That is faith, and his faith was validated when he felt that 1st raindrop hit his cheek.                              

In this chapter Peter tells us that we are in the last days. He tells us that scoffers will come mocking the truth and following there own desires. If there has ever been a time in history when people allow their personal desires to direct there actions, it is now. Everything sacred has been demoralized in the name of tolerance and acceptance. All the while the best selling Book of all time sits on store shelves and our own book shelves, describing what is to come, and we act as if it is either a fairy tale or it is something that we can put off worrying about until later. I'm sure many people in Noah's day felt the same way until they were knee deep in rain water and truth.

I know that this may turn some of you away from my blog but I promise that I will not bring doom and gloom upon your heads every day but from time to time I will share my faith with you because it is necessary. If I walked into a cancer ward with the cure in my pocket and kept it to myself for fear of offending someone with my cure, then who would I be. If you lived across the street from me and I noticed your house was on fire, I promise I would risk my life to get you out of there, and I beleive you would do the same for me. With that been said, I believe when the Bible says that apart from Christ are all destined to hell, that is true. If a relationship with Christ is something that you have considered but you feel like you can put it off until later, than please reconsider that stance. If working on an ambulance has taught me anything, it is that you could die at any moment, and any age. Death does not discriminate. There is a 1:1 ratio when it comes to the reaper appointment. My question to you is, are you ready? Not do you think your ready, or you hope you're ready, but are you 100% sure that if today was your final day, that you know where you would spend your eternity. Most of you probably have car, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, but do you have death insurance? If you would like to know what the Bible says about your eternity than I would be more than happy to tell you what I believe about eternity, and where you are heading at this point.

     If you are a believer, than I believe that this chapter should cause you to take a look at your life. How are you living? Are you playing church? Are you wrapped up in the world and it's pleasures?  Are you just going through the motions? The word Christian, by definition means little Christ one. Jesus lives through us. Have we been Christ to the world around us, or do we look like everyone else? If you feel as if you have faded into your culture than it is time to wake up! Though you may have a saving relationship with Jesus, it may be no more than a skin of your teeth rescue plan. We will all have to give an account for how we have lived and how we have used our time, our talents and our treasures. If God called you today would you step into His presence having finished strong or would you have to look into His eyes with shame and remorse for a life wasted?

     I told you that I can tend to ramble and go on tangents and here is one of many, but I believe that these things need to be said from time to time. I will close with the words of Peter that he closed this chapter with. Enjoy your day until we meet again.

    

Peter’s Final Words

¹⁷ I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. ¹⁸ Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

        

Journaling.....

     Every morning I start my day at 5:30 with a hot cup of coffee and my bible. It's a habit that I have grown to love, and it really makes all the difference in my day. One thing I have always wanted to do along with that is journaling. Just some time spent trying to organize my thoughts on paper. It really helps me to put what I have read into practice. I think this blog will be a great place for me to do that.
     My goal is to post at least once a day about what I read that morning and what I got out of it. I would love to hear your comments on it and what you may have gotten out of it if you choose to read along. Till then I bid you adieu.